In her new book “Invisible Women,” journalist Caroline Criado Perez explores something that women have known for a long time – we live in a world built for men. From the size of an iPhone and the dosing of medications to the height of kitchen counters and steering wheels, design data focuses on men, such that their bodies are used as the universal standard. The problem is that this is not only untrue, but patently dangerous for women.
One of the best researched ways in which gendered size differentials play out in product safety is in automotive accidents. Women are more likely to suffer serious car accident injuries even after controlling for size, age, and body composition, and these two injuries are particularly overrepresented. Women need to be aware of the risk and push for changes that could save lives.
Lower Body Injuries
According to Kooi Law, an Indianapolis-based firm that litigates car accident injuries, the most common types of injuries include various fractures, head trauma, whiplash, and internal organ damage. Among women, though, injuries actually cluster in the lower part of the body, such that damage to the ankles, legs, and hips are disproportionately represented.
Why are these injuries so common among women? Some researchers have suggested that this has to do with the types of shoes women wear, while others believe it may be related to driver height and how close they position the car seat to the pedals and dashboard. Since research includes both passengers and drivers, however, and passenger seat position is less likely to depend on height, researchers haven’t been able to draw any conclusions yet. Another possibility is that, due to hormonal differences, women lose bone mass more quickly than men as they age.
Abdominal Injuries
Compared to their incidence in men, serious abdominal injuries are also more common among women, with an especially significant difference between front seat and rear seat passengers, who had the highest rate of such injuries. This may be due to the differences in how weight is distributed between men and women, as obese passengers also had a much higher rate of abdominal injuries. Some women are more likely to carry weight around the stomach and hips – and those who have had children are more likely to have diastasis recti, making the area more vulnerable – they may face greater restraint risks.
Decreased Fatalities
One piece of good news for women behind the wheel: women are actually less likely to be fatally injured in a car accident than men, despite sustaining more serious injuries. In fact, as drivers, women are less likely to be involved in accidents overall. Though gendered stereotypes often ascribe bad driving to women, the fact is that women are more cautious and less likely to take unnecessary risks that put themselves and others at risk.
As drivers, there’s also some speculation that men are less likely to be injured in car accidents because they often drive larger vehicles than women, which can serve as protection in the event of a crash. The difficulty with all of these inquiries is that there are a significant number of variables in any car accident, beyond car type and gender. Aging also increases the likelihood of being injured, as does being overweight.
With a very narrow body type represented in crash tests, safety data represents only the smallest segment of the population, as opposed to most people who rely on cars for transportation. It’s time to diversify safety testing across industries – women are half of the population, and we can’t continue to be invisible in safety data.